Half-naked protesters against bullfighting

Hundreds of anti-bullfighting protesters gathered in front of the Monument to the Revolution in Mexico City on Sunday to call for an end to the sport. With bullfighting spears in their backs, protesters highlighted the suffering of bulls. They also stripped to their underwear and doused themselves in fake blood. The protesters laid on the ground, semi-nude, imitated the corpses of bulls, while others chanted.

The protesters drew parallels between violence against bulls and the drug war launched by former President Felipe Calderón in 2006, which has led to the deaths of more than 60,000 people. “Mexico is a country marked by violence”, an activist said. “Making a spectacle out of it undermines our progress toward a culture of peace and respect for other forms of life”, she added.

The largest bullfighting venue of its kind is the Plaza México in central Mexico City, which seats 48,000 people. Most Latin American countries have banned the Spanish tradition of bullfighting, though it remains legal in Colombia and Venezuela, as well as in Mexico.